


Thorns a Yearling Day (Malec fanfic)

by MiaVivisol



Series: Malec short chapter stories [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy - Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, I do not support human trafficking, M/M, Malec, Malec Angst, Malec Fluff, Penguins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-11-28 15:44:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11421105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiaVivisol/pseuds/MiaVivisol
Summary: "Come on, pick up," Magnus muttered to himself. "Just this once."On the other side, Catarina picked up the phone. "Hey, Magnus. How's the magic-" She listened as Magnus yelled frantically through the phone."You WHAT!?" she screamed into the phone.**Magnus gets drunk and makes terrible decisions. (what else is new?)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CONDONE THE SELLING OF HUMAN BEINGS OR OTHER ANIMALS. THIS FANFIC IS MEANT TO BE ENTERTAINING AND ITS AUTHOR FIRMLY DISCOURAGES TRAFFICKING, ESPECIALLY FOR SEX.
> 
> Now then.
> 
> Feel free to comment! :* <3

_Day One_

Magnus grumpily walked to the door, tying the belt of his dressing gown, as the doorbell sounded yet again.

He opened the door slightly and peeked out. "You better have a good reason for waking me up."

"Mr.... uh, 'High Warlock'?"

"Yes, that would be me."

"Your delivery is here," said a gruff voice with a Texan accent. Intrigued, Magnus opened the door fully, to reveal a bearded man in his 50's, wearing a suit; and a boy (about 20 years old, Magnus would say; his head was down, so only his mop of black hair was visible,) standing behind him.

"I don't remember ordering anything..." Magnus said, a question in his voice.

"Too bad. The package has already been paid for. " The man shoved a box into Magnus' hands and quickly walked away. The boy stayed behind, still hanging his head and standing rigid like a soldier. Magnus looked between the both of them, confused. The lift arrived with a ping, and Magnus heard the man walk inside and the lift doors close.

"Uh, okay, thanks," Magnus said to the man still standing outside and closed the door to go inside, sit on his sofa and check out the package. He sent a tendril of magic through to check if anybody was trying to kill him. 

Nope. The package just contained a large sheaf of papers. 

Magnus snapped his fingers and then wrapped one hand around the cup of coffee that appeared, sighing contently. He took a sip and opened the package calmly, lifted up the first sheet and slowly read through it. 

As he got past the first few lines, his brows furrowed and he put down the coffee to read it more carefully. As he got through the page, he groaned and got up to open the door. As expected, the strange black-haired man was still standing there, his head still bowed and his hands behind his back. 

"You better come in," he told the man. When he didn't respond, Magnus grabs his arm and gently pulled him in, closing the door. 

"Uh... Here, come on, follow me." Magnus went to his kitchen and got a plate of fruits and a small mountain of sandwiches for the man, who kept standing like a soldier. 

"Uh, you can have whatever you want. Just... Stay here, okay?" he said, quickly going to his bedroom and putting a spell on the door so nothing could be heard from outside. He dialed Catarina's number quickly and paced around his room. 

"Come on, pick up," Magnus muttered to himself. "Just this once."

Catarina, as always, picked up on the third ring. 

"Cat, you have to help me. You see, I got drunk last night and I don't remember anything I did, but today this man gave me a sheaf of papers and left a boy standing outside... Cat,  I think I accidentally bought a mundane," he said, wincing slightly when Catarina yelled at him about placing a value on a human life. 

"...I know, Cat, but there's a stranger in my kitchen and I think I own him, so could you please get over here before Camille finds out? She's already told me she's not sure about us..."

"...Yes, I know thinking about a relationship at a time like this is shallow, but... Just get over here, please!" He turned around as a portal opened behind him and a livid Catarina stepped through in all her blue glory. 

"Magnus, I didn't expect this from you," she told him, putting her phone in her pocket and stalking angrily to the door.

Before she entered the kitchen, she took a few deep breaths and smiled. Magnus followed behind her. 

"Hello," she said in a calm voice. The man, startled, looked up. Magnus then noticed that he had blue eyes, the colour of the sky at the side opposite the sunset. 

Magnus lost himself in thought when the man looked back down, his ears a deep red and the slightest of trembling in his fists by his side.

Meanwhile, Catarina tried to talk to the man. He didn't seem to be responding well. He hadn't even touched the food Magnus had put forward. 

"Magnus," said Catarina, "I need to talk to you. Outside."

Magnus quietly followed. He felt ashamed of himself, but didn't regret buying the man. He would probably have been treated worse somewhere else. 

"While I'm still mad at you," she said, closing the kitchen door, "it doesn't matter to him. Promise me you'll take care of him."

Magnus didn't hesitate. "I will."

Catarina sighed. "...I believe you. You said something about a sheaf of papers?"

"Yes." Magnus went over to his table. "He's not been educated; can't read, write or talk; basically as qualified for life as a one year old; but apparently he's good at sex, been taught in a loving environment and understands stuff like sit and stand. They've provided a list of commands." Magnus wrinkled his nose. "I hate people who do stuff like this."

Catarina sighed. "Well, we can't fight every battle," she said sadly. "What's his name?"

"It says he responds to 'Alexander Gideon Lightwood'."

***

_One week_

Magnus sat down, tense already. "Hello, darling. How have you been?"

Camille, already sitting at the table, sipping what Magnus suspected to be a very strong drink, crossed her legs. "You're late, and there's the scent of a mundane all over you."

"I'm entertaining a guest. You know how mundanes can be, always forcing themselves on you."

"I don't think you're taking our relationship seriously, Magnus. And..." Camille narrowed her eyes. "You get what you give in a relationship."

"Camille, you know I love you," started Magnus. 

"Prove it," interrupted Camille, taking another sip. "Come home with me."

"Alright," agreed Magnus immediately. Sex he could do. Sex was easy; he didn't have to think about it. 

Camille smirked and stood, holding a long, graceful hand out. "Come on, then."

***

_One month_

Magnus stumbled inside and threw himself onto his sofa, waving his hand to summon a glass of water. He was completely exhausted. Camille tended to be... demanding. 

Slowly, like an easily startled deer, Alec came out of his room. Magnus had thought of the nickname when Catarina said it was too long.

"M-magnus?" Magnus was trying to teach him to talk, and so far, he had learnt his name, Magnus's name, Catarina's name, a few foods, 'bed', and 'Dora'. (So sue him, Magnus conjured a TV for Alec with prefixed parental controls. He couldn't spend all day with Alec; he had a life of his own.)

"Mm?" Magnus couldn't make a sound. He felt exhausted.

Alec timidly walked in front of him and showed him a book. He had tried to trace alphabets in a nursery book that Catarina had gotten him. 

Magnus sighed. Then he smiled up at Alec. "Good job," he said and took the book, examining it. 

Alec had obviously been fascinated by the pencil. The first cover page was covered in lines. Soft, dark, thick, thin, straight and squiggly, so many black lines covered the page. 

His writing had been extremely forced for A and B, but had smoothed out towards Y and Z. 

Honestly, Magnus was proud. 

He gave the book back to Alec and smiled again. "Bed now, Alec."

He nodded solemnly and walked off, presumably to sleep. Magnus had felt like crying a little when Alec had first been introduced to the bed. He had been confused by its softness. 

Magnus dragged himself to bed when he heard Catarina singing Alec a lullaby. She portalled into Alec's room every night and made sure he was okay. Surprisingly, Alec never had nightmares.

 It was the most interaction at a stretch the two had had for years. 

Magnus tossed and turned in his sleep until Catarina came in and placed a hand on his forehead. 

"Rest," she said, sending a little wisp of magic into Magnus, and sighing as his forehead smoothed out and he slowly calmed down. "I worry for both of you, Magnus."

***

_Two months_

Alec walked up to Magnus as he read through a page in Oliver Twist. Magnus smiled up at him and went back to reading. 

Alec just roamed around the house all day, and Magnus had gotten used to it. He was like a pet, only not an animal. He had learnt how to talk fairly well, and was progressively reading short story books. Magnus intended to get him educated, perhaps by creating a huge glamour and sending him to school, or by getting someone to homeschool him. He was rather inclined to the former option. 

Magnus sighed, put down his book and called Alec to him. 

"What do you think of me, Alec?" he asked, gently holding Alec's hand. He knew he was probably being stupid, but he didn't want Alec to hate him.  

He wasn't like Alec's former owner, but he wasn't exactly a saint either. Alec had witnessed him coming home after a rough night of drinking thrice, and each time he had rushed back to his room and lay down on his bed, pretending to be asleep. Magnus wasn't sure what to make of that. 

Alec blinked and looked at Magnus. "I love you," he said, and wandered off somewhere while Magnus sat there, stunned. He slowly got up, calmly walked to the balcony and called Catarina. 

"Catarina, please come over, it's Alec," he practically yelled into the phone. Within seconds, there was a portal next to him and Catarina was stepping out. She had become something of a mother figure to Alec in the past three months. 

"I really hope you didn't call me over because Alec has a paper cut again," said Catarina, looking suspiciously at Magnus. "You know better than to disturb me on my shifts."

"Cat, please. Go talk to him, he's just told me he loves me."

Catarina cursed. "What did you do?"

"I just... I asked him what he thought of me, and he said 'I love you,' straight out."

Catarina sighed, rubbing her forehead. "And what do you think of him?"

Magnus thought for a minute. "One, I didn't expect that question. And two, I seem to be inordinately fond of him."

"Inordinately fond?" she snorted. "You called me because he had a paper cut, Magnus. I was in the middle of surgery."

"But you came," countered Magnus. 

"Yes."

"You like him too," accused Magnus. 

"Not like you do. Now, go sit down while I talk to him."

**

 _Eleven months_  

Magnus stormed into the loft, his eyes darker than the outside skies. He stood in the doorway for a second, and suddenly threw a fireball at the phone. It exploded, and Magnus felt vicious enjoyment. He walked out into the balcony. 

He spent a minute tossing magic at the clouds, when they finally burst open. He let himself get drenched, feeling extremely drained all of a sudden, and slumped down and started crying. 

When the rain stopped a good half-hour later, he slowly got up, wincing at his rain-soaked clothes and walked inside. 

Alec stood at the door to his room, half-hiding and looking at the smouldering phone fearfully. Magnus felt a sharp twinge of guilt. 

 "Hey, Alec," he said softly, wiping his face. "How was your day?"

"Obviously better than yours," said Alec, pointing at the phone. Magnus sighed, rubbing at his sore eyes. His makeup was probably dead.

"...Should I call Cat?" ventured Alec. "She can help with whatever's bothering you."

"No, no, she's dealt with enough of my breakups. Let her be, she'd already warned me not to get too close."

"Okay."

Alec calmly sat down on the sofa as Magnus waved a hand to clean up the mess. He had gotten used to Magnus' magic and was slightly disappointed at not having access to it himself.

 "Breakup, huh. I think you're supposed to eat ice cream."

"What?"

"Ice cream."

"I heard you. When did you become a pop culture idoliser?"

"I... didn't understand what you just said."

"Never mind."

Alec shifted slightly. "Magnus, can I ask you something?"

Magnus collapsed onto the sofa next to Alec. "Is it important?"

"No, not really," started Alec, "but.. "

"Shoot away."

"Why did she break up with you?"

Magnus looked at him sideways. "She didn't break up with me. I broke up with her."

Alec's forehead creased. "Then why are you sad?"

"Alec, right now I'm feeling exhausted. Could we do this later?"

Alec nodded solemnly. "Okay."

Magnus sighed and leaned back, resting his head against the back. His eyes drooped of their own accord and he drifted off to sleep. 

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation.
> 
> Disclaimer :the author does not mean to hurt your feelings. It's two a m, good typing is out of my reach.

One year

Magnus looked up as Catarina stepped out the portal. "Magnus, what are you doing here?"

"Cat, I can be here. This is my house."

"You're playing with a train set. In Alec's room."

"I'm not being held hostage against my will. This is a perfectly safe train set."

The corners of Catarina's lips quirked upward, but otherwise she kept a straight face. 

"Where's Alec?"

"In the living room. He's watching a documentary about penguins."

The boy walked in at that point. Looking at Magnus, he said, "Can we go to Antarctica?"

Magnus dropped a plastic tree. Catarina looked at him with interest. 

"And why, my dear, do you want to go to Antarctica?"

"I want to hug a penguin."

Catarina burst out in laughter, and Magnus looked at her with amused irritation. Alec glanced between the two, confused. 

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no, uh, it's just that hugging penguins is not something many people do. Why do you want to hug a penguin?"

"They look sad. The TV said they're dying out. I think it's because of that."

"I don't think we should go, Alec. It's too cold there. Your fingers could fall off."

Alec looked apprehensively at his fingers. "Fall off?"

"Yeah. It's called frostbite."

"Oh. So if we take a blanket, will my fingers fall off?"

"It's... Alec, we're not going to Antarctica. There's no way of going there. You need years of mountaineering training."

"Can we bring a penguin here? They can get frostbite too."

Magnus looked helplessly at Catarina, who was taking deep breaths to stop laughing. She nodded and made a serious face. 

"Alec, I have to take your medical examination. Could you finish this conversation later? I have to get back soon."

Alec nodded sagely and started to pull off his shirt. Magnus quickly walked out of the room, stifling laughter. 

***

One year and two months

"Magnus?" Alec walked into the kitchen, grabbing Magnus's arm and snuggling into his shoulder. Magnus had no idea why Alec was being snuggly. This had started a month ago, and Magnus wasn't exactly complaining. It was a bit awkward when he had one of his clients and Alec calmly walked in, sat down and put his head in Magnus' lap, but hey, gorgeous guy being cuddly. 

Who Magnus should be feeling responsible for. 

"Yes, Alec?"

"Why am I here?"

"As in... What?"

"What?"

"Existentially or here in my loft?"

"In your loft."

Magnus sighed and turned around, pulling Alec in front of him. 

"Alec... I honestly don't think I can tell you right now. It's a bit of a mess, but I don't regret having you here. You're a wonderful young man."

Alec hunched over slightly, as Magnus let go of him. Magnus put a hand on his arm, just to comfort him. "Why can't you tell me?" Alec said in a small voice.

"I don't think either of us are ready for it, love. I don't know anything about your past, and I am going to wait until you're ready to tell me." Magnus sounded like he was trying to convince himself. 

Alec stepped forward and put his head on Magnus' chest. He had to bend down a bit. 

"I didn't know you wanted to know about me," Alec started. "You should have asked me."

Magnus put his arms around Alec, giving him a hug and pulling him up. "You sure you can tell me?"

Alec shrugged, pulling away from Magnus and walking to the fridge. "Why do you think I can't?"

"I don't know, it might be traumatic for you?... Or something?" he added when Alec gave him a disbelieving look. 

"No, I can tell you. Do you want to listen?"

"...Yes. But I think it would be better if Catarina was here. Would that be okay?" 

Alec rolled his eyes - a bad habit he had obtained from the hundreds of TV shows he watched - and nodded, taking a sip of Coke. 

Magnus watched him for a moment - the way his Adam's Apple moved when he swallowed - and then walked out of the room, shaking his head and composing a fire message to Catarina in his head. 

***

"Do you really have to make such a big deal out of this?" asked Alec, looking around. 

"None of that cheek with me, young man."

Catarina snorted at that. "I actually kind of agree with him, Magnus. You're making too big of a deal out of this."

They were in the living room, Catarina and Magnus sitting on a love seat opposite Alec in a large sofa. That would have been okay, normal. What was not normal was the soothing bonfire in the middle of the room, raging brightly, and the large blanket swaddling Alec, and the seventeen large teddy bears surrounding him. Magnus had gotten eighteen, but currently that one was being strangled by him. There were also three warm, steaming marshmallow hot chocolate cups in the kitchen, but only Magnus knew about those. 

"Well, I don't think I'm making a big deal. Are you okay, Alexander?"

Alec sighed and smiled. "I told you, Magnus. You need to stop worrying. I'm okay."

Catarina put an arm around Magnus and squeezed slightly, letting a few wisps of soothing magic cool his jittery nerves. He sighed as it calmed him, shooting Catarina a thankful look. 

"Can I get out of the blanket now?" asked Alec. 

Magnus immediately straightened up. "You will do no such thing. Stay there, and start talking when you're ready." 

Alec sighed, and Catarina winked at him. "Well, at least you'll be warm."

Alec gave a small laugh and half-shrugged off the blanket. Magnus frowned, but didn't protest. 

"I was... brought up by a man named Heston. I don't remember anything before him." Alec spoke slowly. "He never spoke anything but our names."

"Our?" cut in Magnus. "You mean, there were others?"

Alec nodded. "Heston... He taught me my name, and everyone else's names. Never a word more. There was Caitlyn, and little Jeanette, and baby Tommy... Heston showed me how to take care of them. How to cook, and how to feed them... He taught me to hold Tommy's head near my chest, so he could hear my heartbeat. Tommy loved my heartbeat. He used to go to sleep in minutes."

Catarina glanced at Magnus, who was looking at Alec. There was a small smile on his lips as he watched Alec lose himself in his memories. 

"Where we lived... There was never this much of noise from outside. There was barely enough space for all of us, it was a small place. A few rooms, one bathroom and... as many children as the number of fingers on my hands and toes, and then another." Alec shook his head. "That's twenty-one."

"All the smallest ones got to sleep with Heston. He had a warm, large bed, and every night, they'd clamber up next to him. He'd snore loud enough to wake them. He... never let me touch his bed, though. I don't know why. I'd always slept on the floor, so it didn't matter."

"One day, I was about fourteen, I think; we didn't have birthdays; this couple came to our house. Heston talked to them. I had never heard him say anything other than our names before. I was terrified. I was the eldest there, so I got everyone to hide under his bed."

Magnus shifted uncomfortably. 

"Heston called me out. I went. The men stared at me and... pulled my cheeks and poked at my thighs. Then Heston called Carol out and sent me back inside, and a while later he came into the room and put my clothes and stuff into a bag and dragged me out. Then he knelt down and hugged me, and then said something in my ear, I don't know what. I went with the men alone. I haven't ever seen Heston since."

There was a somber silence for a while. Then:

"The men spoke around me a lot. It scared me. I never understood what they said. But they brought other boys and girls and showed me how to do the-" Alec made a vague gesture with his hands and started to get up. Magnus, starting to realise where this was going, got up, dropping his teddy bear, and pulled the blanket up over Alec. 

"Okay, Alec. I understand what you're trying to do, so just skip over what they taught you. Did they ever hurt you in any way?"

Alec's eyebrows scrunched up as he looked at Catarina. "If I didn't do anything right, but that's about it. Not very often either."

"They didn't?" asked Magnus, confused. 

"Magnus," said Catarina gently. "They didn't want to leave scars."

"Oh." Magnus sat back down. "Did they succeed?"

Catarina nodded. "He has the healthiest skin I've ever seen on a mundane. It's a good thing."

Alec yawned, then looked at Magnus angrily. "Now I'm sleepy," he complained. 

"Well, please don't leave us in suspense. Finish the story!" said Magnus. 

Catarina laughed. "What happened to 'he may be traumatized'?" 

"Look at him. He's not. He says he's not, and if he wasn't hurt, then he wasn't."

"Listen," said Alec, and Magnus shut up. 

"They didn't teach me their names, but they called each other a lot. Norah and Jon. I didn't really like it there, but there was nothing I could do about it. I never saw anyone younger than me. There was never the kind of food I eat here. I think that was... bread and soup?" He shrugged. "Cereal for breakfast. I didn't know anything else existed. Oh, yeah, they gave me things to swallow. Really small and really bad tasting. I had to drink water so I wouldn't taste them."

"Cat." said Magnus. 

Catarina looked at him. "What?"

"They gave him pills."

"Probably nutrition supplements, Magnus, he's clean."

"Are you sure?" Magnus turned to her. "What if it was drugs?"

Catarina rolled her eyes. "Magnus, think straight. He's not going through any withdrawal symptoms."

"I never think straight," said Magnus, weakly trying to make a joke. Alec looked at him blankly and Catarina gave him a judgemental stare. "Okay, okay, just talk, Alec."

"I stayed with them for a long time. Then, one day a new man came in and started packing my clothes. The last time that had happened, I lost Heston. So I screamed and pushed him, and he slapped me, and then Jon came in and shouted, and both of them went out and then screamed at each other, and then Norah came in and packed my clothes, then hugged me and gave my bag to the new man. I didn't let go, and I screamed a lot, but then the man hit me again and I stopped. And then he put me in a- a car, I think, and then he gave me bread to eat, but it didn't taste right, and then I got really sleepy and then when he woke me up I was in a different place and I got really scared and tried not to move, but he pulled me out and then we came up by the lift and he talked to you and left me here." Alec took a deep breath and looked up at Magnus and Catarina. 

Magnus was biting his lip anxiously and Catarina was looking at Alec, her expression giving away nothing. Her eyes did look shiny, though. 

"I like it the most here."

Magnus smiled at that. Alec shrugged off his blanket and walked over to them, putting his head on Magnus's shoulder and holding Catarina's hand. 

"Can I have the hot chocolate now? I smell it in the kitchen." asked Alec. 

Catarina looked at Magnus, amused. "Hot chocolate?" she said, her voice a bit watery. 

Magnus grinned. "You know me, Cat."

***  
One year and five months 

"Magnus, I can do magic too!" said Alec, walking into the room and grinning. 

Magnus looked up from the potion he had been making and raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Alec's hands were behind his back. He nodded, smiling. "See."

He showed Magnus his fist, and slowly opened it. 

"That's a witchlight," said Magnus dismissively, looking back at the potion. "It's supposed to- Angel, it's glowing!"

"See? I can do magic too."

"Alec, where did you find that?"

"On the shelf behind the DVD player... Is it something I'm not supposed to touch?"

"Not necessarily, but..."

"Is... something wrong?" Alec asked, his smile faltering. He slowly put the stone down, and as expected, it stopped glowing. 

Magnus didn't say anything for a while. Alec fidgeted nervously. 

"Alec..." started Magnus. Shadowhunters had been... Well, he wouldn't say extinct, but definitely not clearly defined for decades now, since they had closed the rifts between their dimension and those of demonic origin. Edom, for instance. 

To put it simply, Shadowhunters had integrated themselves into the mundane world, and there was no obvious difference between them and mundanes. 

Magnus made his decision. He smiled brightly at Alec, who looked back at him, confused and slightly worried. 

"Come with me," said Magnus, snapping himself into better clothes. We're going on a field trip."  
***

"Magnus, this seems stupid," argued Alec weakly. 

"We're glamoured, nobody can see us being stupid, so get on with it," said Magnus. 

"But-"

"Open the door, Alec."

"All right, fine." Alec grumbled before pushing open the doors of the large derelict church. "Happy?"

"Well, not happy, exactly, but at least we've proved you're not... entirely human. This is interesting."

"Not human? I don't get what you're trying to say. Just tell me."

"You're a Shadowhunter, Alec. I'll give you some books when we get back. Come along, now," said Magnus, flicking his wrist and walking out of the empty lot, not looking back at the Institute. 

"Magnus, what does opening doors have to do with me being human? Hey, wait up!"

***

"Alec, dinner!" yelled Magnus. 

"Just a minute," said Alec. "One more chapter."

Magnus huffed. "You've been saying that the past hour. Get your lazy ass over here."

Alec came in, his eyes glued to the Codex, and sat down on his chair. 

"Is it true that you can't get sick?" asked Alec, looking up at last, eyes shining. Magnus watched him, thinking that he would do anything to keep that smile in its place. Then he shook his head. 

"It's not entirely true, Alec. That book was written by people who hated magic and feared its users. They knew only as much as they've been told. And we liked to scare them, so just read the part they've written about themselves."

"Mmm," said Alec, as Magnus realized he wasn't listening. He was back to being immersed in the book. Magnus smiled fondly as he ate. His little bookworm... 

**

It was a dark and stormy night. 

Literally. Magnus was a bit wary of the storm's intensity, and he had seen some pretty big storms. 

"Magnus?" came a small, uncertain voice from his door. Magnus sat up, letting his blanket pool around his waist. 

"Yes, Alec?"

"Can I please..." he hesitated. Magnus noticed that Alec's blanket was wrapped around him and he was shivering a bit. 

"Get in here, Alexander," he said, shifting so that there was enough space for both of them. 

Alec gave him a grateful smile and quickly got into the bed. Magnus felt his heart stop for a second when Alec put his head on Magnus' shoulder, his arms around Magnus' waist, and a foot on his ankle. 

"Scared of the storm?" asked Magnus, whispering. 

"Not anymore," whispered back Alec.

Magnus was sure only Alec got all the sleep that night. 

***

One year and six months 

"Hey, Magnus?"

"Yeah?" 

"Can I kiss you?"

Magnus whipped around to look at Alec. "What?"

Alec shrugged. "Cat told me I could kiss you if I wanted to."

Magnus sat back in his chair, looking away from the ancient texts he was translating. "And when, exactly, did Cat tell you this?"

Alec shrugged. "A year ago, maybe? I told you I loved you, and then Cat came to talk to me in my room."

Magnus thought for a minute. 

"Do you still love me?" he asked hesitantly. 

"Yes," Alec replied, confused at the question. 

"Then why did you wait so long?"

Alec shrugged again. "I don't know, it didn't seem right."

Magnus thought. He thought about Camille, the woman who had broken his heart barely half a year ago. He thought about the fact that Alec was mortal. He thought about the fact that all his friends told him he loved too much, too soon. He thought about the blood flowing through Alec's veins, the blood of people who thought lesser of him than of the dirt on their feet. 

He thought about Alec's inexperience with life as he had never known. Thought about his beguiling innocence and his straightforward truths. Thought about the trust he had been given. Thought that this would never work out well in the end. 

And then he thought: here is a man I love, and he wants to kiss me. Why should I refuse? 

He got up and took a step towards Alec. 

"Come here, Alexander."

Magnus leaned forward as Alec walked to him, no hesitation in his steps. 

"Kiss me."

Magnus stumbled back a little as Alec grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward roughly. The kiss, in contrast, was a gentle, barely-there press of lips, and as Alec moved back, Magnus blinked, looking at him. Alec licked his lips, and then again. 

"That was nice," he commented. "You taste like that cake Catarina made."

Magnus had to take a moment to be able to think. 

"Strawberry lip gloss, you mean," and he did not sound a bit breathless at that minute touch, thank you very much. 

Alec nodded thoughtfully. "It's nice."

***

Catarina did not look very angry at Magnus. More like resigned with a bit of happiness for the both of them. 

"Don't hurt him," she warned Magnus. 

"I promised not to do that two years ago,"

Catarina sighed as she watched them, Alec fast asleep with his head in Magnus' lap and Magnus running his hands through Alec's hair with a tender look on his face. 

"I know."

Both of them knew it was too soon. Both of them knew Alec still had to shake off the effects of the life he had been through, and that he had to learn a lot about life as they knew it. They knew that there were many like him, brought up in their personal dystopias, but they also knew that there was one person they could help, if not more. 

For now, it was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo. 
> 
> Guys, I am no longer single and ready to mingle. [Meet my girlfriend!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PUREMALECGOLDD/pseuds/PUREMALECGOLDD)
> 
> I'm sorry for the story ending, but there's no way I can satisfy myself trying to complete 4am fics. There is no way Alec can become a functional member of society after just one and a half year with Magnus as opposed to 20-something years of brainwashing. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Comment if you liked it, comment if you didn't, comment if you will lay in the wide wastelands of your beds daydreaming about something they said


End file.
